Comparison

Shruti Box vs DroneLab

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Shruti Box

This app simulates a traditional Indian musical instrument used to provide a continuous drone for vocalists and instrumentalists. It offers multiple sound flavors and allows tuning to both Indian harmonic and Western tempered scales, with automatic transposition capabilities.

Highlights
  • Continuous drone sound
  • Multiple sound flavors
  • Indian harmonic scale tuning
  • Western tempered scale tuning
  • Automatic transposition
  • Play up to 4 notes with octaves
Features
Read full description

The shruti box is a small instrument with reeds, used to play a drone in music. Imagine an harmonium or accordeon without any buttons. You just select a set of notes, and the shruti will play them together continuously. The main purpose is to create a musical atmosphere to sustain the solist with its voice or musical instrument. The Shruti box is usually used in karnatak or hindustani music in India. You can create different musical atmosphere with the three different sound flavours of our Shruti box: - Traditional Harmonium sound, with deep sound of original reeds - Light shruti sound, which provides a clearer sound - Modern flute organ, simpler, heavenly If you're interested to play indian music (karnatac or hindusthani), this is the perfect "travel" shruti box you need. Tune your shruti in the indian harmonic scale. You select harmonic scale, and the base note. That's it. If you prefer to play western music and you need a tempered chord, then tune the shruti to the common tempered scale. Our shruti box can do automatic transposition. You can configure it in any key with the same keyboard position. You just need to select the note to play on the C key of the keyboard. You can play up to 4 notes together (with or without octaves). It will produce a sound of high quality, much better than all the electronic devices you can buy for playing shruti. For getting the best sound from this instrument, it is advised to use a good headphone or a pair of speakers with loudspeaker.

About

DroneLab

Generate evolving ambient music with three parallel audio sources and unique sound effects. Save and export your creations for use in music or video projects, or use it for improvisation and practice.

Highlights
  • Three parallel continuous audio sources
  • Custom sound effects
  • Preset selection and customization
  • Stereo audio export up to 96KHz
  • Real-time recording
  • Improvisation and experimentation tool
Features
Read full description

DroneLab creates slowly shifting musical soundscapes. Control three continuous audio sources running in parallel, each with its own rate of shifting intensity. Expand the soundscape with unusual sound effects crafted specifically for DroneLab. Get going quickly by selecting one of the included presets. Go further by selecting and customizing the sound sources, and save your own presets to the list. Create soundscapes for your music and video projects: - Export a stereo audio file with your current settings, at sample rates up to 96KHz. On newer devices, exports occur faster than real time. - Or, you can record in real time, capturing all the changes you make to the sounds as you go. DroneLab is great for improvisation and experimentation: - Explore the melodic side of your instrument in a fun, relaxing setting. - Warm up before practicing more difficult material. - Explore sounds and articulations that aren't part of your usual repertoire. Please visit us at dronelab.app for videos, more information and support.

Screenshots

Shruti Box2 screens
DroneLab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: DroneLab at 4.4 against Shruti Box's 2.5. DroneLab also leads on review sentiment (74% vs 33%). Shruti Box's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $1.99) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Shruti Box costs $0.99 and DroneLab $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DroneLab holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 20 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Shruti Box's written reviews are positive against 74% of DroneLab's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shruti Box ships an update every 3 months, DroneLab every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Shruti Box versus DroneLab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShruti BoxDroneLab
Price$0.99 — better$1.99
Rating2.5 (8 ratings)4.4 (20 ratings) — better
Positive reviews32.5% of reviews73.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings820 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperC.BARATAYJon Lukas

Customer experience

Shruti Box

All ratings8 ratings
Positive37.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative62.5%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive32.5%
Neutral15.0%
Negative52.5%

DroneLab

All ratings20 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative15.0%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive73.7%
Neutral15.8%
Negative10.5%

In-app purchases

None

Shruti Box

No in-app purchases

None

DroneLab

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shruti Box free?
Shruti Box costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is DroneLab free?
DroneLab costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shruti Box or DroneLab?
DroneLab is rated higher. Shruti Box averages 2.5 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while DroneLab averages 4.4 from 20 ratings.
Do Shruti Box or DroneLab have ads?
Neither Shruti Box nor DroneLab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shruti Box or DroneLab?
Shruti Box ships an update every 3 months, and DroneLab every 4 months. Most recently, Shruti Box was updated on September 25, 2026 and DroneLab on September 21, 2026.

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